PDEA names first drug-cleared Cagayan town

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan: The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Wednesday confirmed Santa Teresita as the first among the 28 towns in the province to be declared as drug-cleared municipality. Louella Tomas, PDEA regional information officer, said Santa Teresita’s barangay (villages) of Masi, Simbaluca, Villa, Luga, Buyun, Simpatuyo, Centro East, Mission and Centro West are now drug-cleared while the villages of Alucao, Caniugan, Dungeg and Aridowen are drug-free. She said the absence of drug transit activity, clandestine drug laboratory and chemical warehouse, marijuana cultivation site, drug den, drug pusher and user should also be validated before declaring a place as drug-cleared or drug-free. Meanwhile, the PDEA has clarified that those individuals who voluntarily surrender are called “tokhang” responders and not drug surrenderers.